Friday, December 24, 2010

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XMAS: Faves for the Family

‘Tis the most wonderful time of the year, but when it comes to pleasing family and friends, ‘tis also the most frazzled time of the year. Here, The Winehound’s Bob Wesley and The Liquor &Wine Grotto’s Brian Brunello make your trip to the bottle shop the easiest task on your to-do list this year.

The Paring “The Hilt” Chardonnay, 2008 ($25): Satisfy Chardonnay-lovers’ lust with this rich and creamy glass of this. Wesley comments on its fantastic use of French oak.

“Undercover” Pinot Noir, 2008 ($25): The Winehound’s first private label wine makes a nice, warm pinot for these chillier times from which raspberries and cherries emerge with baking spices, like allspice and cinnamon.

Brewer-Clifton Mount Carmel Pinot Noir, 2008 ($50): Cultivated on one of the toughest growing sites, Wesley considers this “concentrated” pinot “a great example of how critical it is to have the right site.”

Derby Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005 ($17): Wesley values this wine at over $100, thus recommends getting it now. “I’ve got people buying it by the case, which is fairly unusual for a $70 wine,” he says. Have it with meatier fare, like pork chops of prime rib.

Star Lane Cabernet Sauvignon, 2006 ($46): For a less costly—yet still worthy—cab, Star Lane offers a great product. “If you want something big to hold up to a massive meal, this Cabernet Sauvignon is perfect,” suggests Brunello.

Hocus Pocus Santa Barbara Syrah, 2008 ($18): Three different vineyard sites around the county—Star Lane, White Hawk, and Presidio—makes this wine well-rounded and complex. “It’s very cold climate, very northern Rhone,” says Wesley. On a side note, there couldn’t be a wintrier label out there.

Harrison-Clarke Estate Syrah 2007 ($36): For that deep, dark syrah that arguably put Santa Barbara County on the map, Wesley calls this one complex, flourishing with blueberry and blackberry essences, and “penetratingly” dark and intense. —Chelsey Steinman

NYE: A Spectrum of Sparkle

Santa Barbara County boasts a bubbly in every shade of grape — from crystalline blanc de blancs to pale pink rosés and even garnet-hued sparkling shiraz — for New Year’s Eve or any occasion that commands the dazzle of effervescence.

Nearly 58 million bubbles intermingle with an abundance of flavors inside every bottle of sparkling wine and it is precisely this festive fusion that makes them so delicious. To create the fizz, sparkling wines are fermented twice — once in barrel and again in the bottle. Winemakers add yeast and sugar to a bottle of still wine, which produces tiny carbon dioxide bubbles. When the second fermentation is complete, the nose of each bottle is frozen and uncapped so that the remaining sediment can be removed. Then, one by one, the bottles are topped with sweetened wine and carefully re-corked. This elaborate process, called the méthode champenoise, produces sparkling wines with ethereal bubbles and intricate flavors.

Santa Barbara sparklers in particular reflect the vibrant hues and diverse terrain of our local landscape — something we’re happy to celebrate with each sip. Toast 2011 with one these bubbles:

Comments

Yep...all booze, all the time. Heaven forbid we have fun without pouring some overpriced fermented grape juice down our gullets...and oh yeah...DRIVING home afterward?

WTH??

We preach all this "don't drink and drive" stuff...and yet the Indy prints article after article after article celebrating alcohol. It's never SAID to drink and drive, but hello? When the winos are done swilling down their booze, how are they getting home?

Because there is no way some yahoo with a fancy suit and a powerful sense of entitlement is going to forsake his giant urban assault vehicle in favor of (ugh!) a taxicab.

"when the winos are done swilling down their booze, how are they getting home? "

Now now Holly...these aren't "winos", they are connoisseurs. Learn something else: rich people and connoisseurs are don't get "drunk", they get "tipsy".

And so what if people get killed and maimed by drunk drivers, drunks are good for filling the local coffers with plenty of $$$. Look how much life has improved since the bars have taken over.

Furthermore: I get so annoyed when the C.H.P and the Office of Traffic Safety run those ads on T.V. telling us how during the average wine tasting tour a person visits four (4) tasting rooms during the two-hour stint and consumes the equivalent of a bottle of wine. What would the C.H.P know about drunk driving?...just because they have to see the carnage that result from the same?

Remember: our politicians know what's best for us and if they say bars are good, I believe 'em.

Lighten up and have one for the road and quit bugging us with your facts.